Jumpei Mitsui’s LEGO Version of Hokusai’s Great Wave

JAPAN|

If you’re traveling around Osaka and are a fan of Lego sculptures, you should definitely visitHankyu Brick Museum.

This museum is specially dedicated to exhibiting the works of the only certified professional LEGO builder in Japan, Jumpei Mitsui. Among all of the marvelous builds, the LEGO version of the iconic Hokusai’s “The Great Wave off Kanagawa,” is definitely one of the major attractions.

富嶽三十六景 神奈川沖浪裏 をレゴで立体化しました。
長年作りたいテーマで頭の中でイメージはできていたのですが、今回ついに具現化することができました。立体なので色んなアングルから楽しめる作品になっています。

今日から大阪の阪急三番街・HANKYU BRICK MUSEUMで常設展示しています！ pic.twitter.com/fHEXvxfYDT

— 三井淳平 / Jumpei Mitsui (@Jumpei_Mitsui) December 11, 2020

The original being a breathtaking woodblock composition, its 3D LEGO replica is nothing to look down upon. Mitsui explains that he had been wanting to build Hokusai’s woodblock print for quite a while but had never gotten around to doing it. Since it is a very iconic image he wanted to make it so that it can portray the dynamics and pay homage to the original work.

To make this a reality he began researching various texts related to wave formation and spent a lot of time watching videos of waves. This helped him to create the sketch shown below to visualize his final model.

Mitsui takes commission works too so he has worked with many companies and his works have been displayed in other countries such as Thailand and Malaysia. He also owns a YouTube channel where he posts videos of himself building small structures like trucks, busses, and a variety of animals.